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What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: Breaking Free from the Comfort Zone
Let me tell you a story.
When I was 19, I was stuck. My life was on repeat—working, hanging out with friends, and living in a comfortable rut. I had a decent job stocking shelves, a modest apartment, and a solid group of friends. On the surface, everything was fine.
But I kept feeling like I wanted something more. I’d even visited the Navy recruiter once, tagging along with a friend who was serious about enlisting. They had me take some tests, look over my transcripts, and pretty much rolled out the red carpet for me to join. But I shrugged it off. I told myself, “I’m fine. I’m doing okay.”
Yet, that feeling nagged at me. My family came from hardworking, salt-of-the-earth people who made an honest living doing labor-intensive jobs. They drove trucks, mowed lawns, and worked for someone else. Nothing wrong with that, but a part of me wondered if I was meant to break that mold. But just as quickly, my mind would throw up reasons to stay right where I was: What if I join the Navy and hate it? What if I’m making a huge mistake?
I even had prospects at work. They were talking about grooming me for a management role. I thought, Well, that’s a safe choice. But the thought of doing something more didn’t go away. Eventually, I found myself walking back into the recruiter’s office, and I surprised myself by saying, “How soon can I leave?” Two weeks later, I was off to boot camp.
Now, boot camp was brutal—just as bad as I’d imagined. And at first, I wondered if I’d made the biggest mistake of my life. But as I kept pushing through those tough days, something shifted. I realized the struggle was my ticket to a better life. It was a kind of mental transformation, breaking down my own walls and learning to see the pain as a path forward.
See, our minds are pretty amazing at keeping us comfortable. They throw up roadblocks to “protect” us, usually from things that seem risky or unknown. Ever had thoughts like, “I’ll get in shape before I join a gym,” or “Maybe I’ll start working out after the holidays”? That’s just your mind keeping you in your comfort zone.
Our minds are smart, but they’re also sneaky. They’ll come up with lists of things that need to happen first:
“I should lose weight before I start strength training.”
“I need to research the best diet before I commit.”
“I’ll wait until the kids are back in school.”
Each one of these roadblocks is another way to keep you from taking that step forward. If you can recognize them for what they are, they’re a lot easier to get past.
Here’s the truth: Change is uncomfortable. It can even be scary. But without it, there’s no progress. It’s like when I decided to join the Navy. It was tough, and yeah, I hated boot camp at first. But that discomfort was exactly what I needed to grow.
If you want something different for yourself—whether it’s strength, health, or just a new way of living—then you’ve got to step out of the comfortable. You’ve got to let go of where you are if you want to get to where you’re going.
The first step to moving forward is recognizing those roadblocks for what they are: a way to keep you comfortable. They’re not impossible challenges, just barriers your mind puts up to keep you in the familiar.
If you’re ready to take the next step, let go of the idea that everything has to be perfectly lined up. Growth happens on the other side of discomfort. Every hard-won rep, every new lift, every challenging workout is helping you grow stronger—not just physically, but mentally, too.
That decision I made at 19, to walk into that recruiter’s office and ask to leave, changed the course of my life. It taught me a lesson I never forgot: the struggle is what prepares you, shapes you, and ultimately makes you stronger.
So, if you’re on the fence, waiting for the “perfect time,” ask yourself this: What happens if nothing changes?
If you stay in the same pattern, life will stay the same. Your goals will stay just out of reach, your health may stay where it is (or slowly decline), and that sense of “what if” will still linger in the background, unanswered. You might remain comfortable, but you’ll miss out on the potential for growth and everything that lies on the other side of that first scary step.
Now, imagine what happens if you decide to take that step today.
It won’t be easy—change rarely is. But that discomfort will be the beginning of something incredible. Every workout, every challenging lift, every small victory will get you closer to the healthier, stronger person you want to become. You’ll gain confidence, resilience, and strength that you never knew you had.
So, the choice is yours: stay where you are, or take that first step and see just how strong and capable you really are.
If you’re ready to break free from the comfort zone and build a stronger future, reach out. Let’s work together to break down those mental barriers and start your journey toward a healthier, stronger you.